'I massively struggled': Former PM's son Max Key on life under the spotlight

Max Key has provided some insight into what it was like growing up under the spotlight as the son of former Prime Minister Sir John Key.

In a touching Instagram post to mark his 26th birthday, Max explained that he had been absent from social media because he realised the "party-boy, drop kick" image he had portrayed wasn't an accurate representation of who he really was.

"I massively struggled being under the spotlight as I grew up and made mistakes a lot of us make in this growing up period of life," the post said.

"The only difference was every time I screwed up, the whole nation got to see."

Max said he hated the way he had presented himself and had learned about how the negative effects of social media could impact people's mental wellbeing.

"I thought having a break would be the best way to reflect on who I want to be and the person I really want to ultimately try become."

He said he felt he was ready to be more active in the social media community now and show his followers what he had been doing.

"I've grown up a lot and have matured into more of the kind of person I'm proud of being."